Expert Defines: How to Help Lengthen Your Cat’s Life

I've been treating cats for decades as a veterinarian. And one fact that's become critically obvious to me is that preventative care is key. Today, we're going to talk about routine checkups, vaccination, and a diligent parasite control program. Routine checkups are the cornerstone to preventative care.

And not surprisingly, some cats have never been to the veterinarian before. Your kid cat should have access to the veterinarian and a routine physical exam at least once a year to screen all body systems, including the heart and lungs, the abdomen, looking for bone and joint issues. And, of course, preventative care has a tenant in dentistry. We know that periodontal disease can have systemic effects all through the body. Routine screening can help prevent us from seeing problems in the future.

A cat vaccine schedule, just like people, is designed to protect them from the invisible enemy of viruses and bacteria. There are some core vaccines that cats absolutely need. This includes a rabies vaccine. This includes feline panleukopenia, otherwise known as distemper. Feline viral rhinotracheitis and feline calicivirus, just to name the core vaccines. After that, every vaccine program should be tailor made for your cat.

Some enemies are a little bit more obvious, and we're talking about parasites. Internal parasites like Giardia, toxoplasmosis, roundworms, and hookworms can make your cat extremely sick. And external parasites like fleas can cause a life-threatening anemia. And not just to kittens, adult cats too.

And ticks. Ticks can spread Lyme disease, ehrlichia, rocky mountain spotted fever, babesiosis, just to name a few. And the best way to prevent life-threatening illness is to focus on prevention, particularly when it comes to parasite control, not to mention the prevention for these conditions is a lot less expensive than treatment.